English Channel

This MERIS (MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) image shows the English Channel which is the part of the Atlantic Ocean and separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, it also joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about 350 miles long and at its widest is 240 km (150 miles). The Strait of Dover is the narrowest point, only 34 km (21 miles), from Dover to Cape Gris-Nez. In the upper part of the image most of the southern part of England can be observed, from Plymouth to Margate on the coast-line and from Bristol to London (large bright area). The light green-bluish colours in the sea (Goodwin Sands area) indicate shallow waters and increased sedimentation in the area. On the opposite side of the channel are the French regions of Brittany and Lower Normandy. To the left of Lower Normandy are the British islands of Jersey and Guernsey.